Sake
by Luna-Dara
Summary: All it takes is for one simple action to change everything. Even if it's just a simple, "Is this seat taken?" NaruHIna, and maybe others. Note: Rating may change, better safe than sorry
1. 1: Empty Seat

**A/N: Hey everyone who stumbles upon my story, I hope you enjoy reading it and of course please leave reviews! Currently I have writersblock for my other fanfic (Rooftops) but it will return! I may re-release it (mostly due to some inconsistencies). But I will try to upload this at least once a week. (cross your fingers!) Now enough of me blabbing, please enjoy! R &R!**

 **PS: Don't own...obviously**

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki was walking the streets of Konoha with his best friend Shikamaru. They were talking about everything, ranging from class, to the future.

"Wanna grab something to eat?" Naruto asked.

"I would, but I have to go see Temarai," he sighed, "She wants to go see some new movie." Shikamaru took a drag of his cigarette. Naruto just laughed.

"You're a dog on a leash." Shikamaru made a face and mumbled about something being troublesome.

"Have fun with your chick flick," Naruto said as he waved to Shikamaru, making his way to Ichiraku.

"Hey Naruto!" Teuchi called out as soon as Naruto stepped into the place. It was small but cozy. There was a small bar and plenty of seating everywhere else. However, Naruto's favorite place was to sit at the bar. Teuchi had already started making Naruto's usual.

"No company tonight?"

"Nah, he had to go see his girlfriend tonight."

He put the food in front of him and Naruto simply grinned from ear to ear. Teuchi laughed at his expression but smiled all the same. He was talking with him for a while in between bites of ramen. In the middle of talking he overhears someone come into the shop and seats themselves at the counter a few seats down from him. He looks over and sees that it was a young woman about his age. She had placed her stuff in the seat next to her and placed her head on the counter. Teuchi looked at her and had a sad smile on his face as he went over to the woman.

"The usual Miss?" he asked her. She simply nodded her head.

"What's up with her?" Naruto asked.

"She's one of my usual's. She works at the Hyuga Company I think and is usually pretty stressed. She doesn't really like to talk about it too much though." Naruto nodded and looked back at her. Teuchi finished her food and brought it over to her, then proceeded to take out a bottle of sake.

"How was your day?" he asked her as he was getting out glasses. Her responses was her simply putting up three fingers. "That bad huh?" he then proceeded to pour three shots of sake. She lifted her head from the table and picked up a glass and chugged it all.

"It was a shit day," she said while holding her head. She then proceeded to pick at her food. Naruto was mesmerized by her, despite the obvious bad mood she was in. Her indigo like hair was disheveled, her lavender eyes had bags and looked tired.

"Why don't you go talk to her?" Teuchi suggested while he took away Naruto's empty ramen bowl. "I'm sure she would appreciate the company, you know." Naruto knew the feeling, he nodded his head and got up and walked towards her.

"This seat taken?" he asked her. She turned to face him and he felt stunned for a moment. She was beautiful.

"Huh? Oh, no. You can sit," she said while giving a small smile. A small blush began forming on her cheeks and it only added to her beauty in this moment. Part of him was curious as to why she was blushing but chalked it up to the sake that she just had.

"My name is Naruto by the way," he said as he took the seat.

"Hinata. I'm sorry, I'm probably not the best company for tonight."

"It's okay. Bad day?" he asked, even though he already knew what the answer was.

"It's up there on the list of being one of the worse days," she said while resting her forehead on the counter.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I shouldn't even be complaining," she said as she reached for her second cup of sake. She took a sip and then sighed, "I work in a family business and I hate it. I wish I didn't have to work there."

"Can't quit?"

"Not exactly. I'm an artistic kind of person and this business doesn't need it." She finished her food then pulled out a sketch book.

"What is it you wanna do?"

"It sounds silly but I want to do game design or manga artist. I know everyone's in those fields but I feel like I could do a lot of pretty cool things there."

"You're right about everyone in the field. It's very competitive," he said with a chuckle.

"I think at this point I would rather do anything but this job," she said as she started sketching. Naruto's curiosity got the better of him and he started to lean over to get a better view of her drawing.

"Is that – is that a manga?"

"Eh?!" she started furiously blushing and attempted to cover her work. Naruto laughed a bit.

"I'm sorry I just really wanted to see."

"I'm not drunk enough yet." Naruto gave her a questioning look. "To show one's art in general is a very intimate thing."

"When can I see it then?" he asked with a smirk.

"If it ever gets published or turned into something," she said. She giggled and smiled. Then she picked up her last cup of sake and stared into it then looked at Naruto.

"You know, I think we should share this last one Naruto. I'm not exactly in the mood to drink it by myself anymore. Do - do you mind?" she asked while offering him her cup. Naruto was taken aback for a moment. Then he smiled. He took the cup and drank a little more than half. It had been a while since he drank so the initial burn caught him off guard. Which caused him to make faces which caused Hinata to giggle. She took the cup and downed the rest of it.

"It's been a while," Naruto stated in his defense . But he couldn't help but smile.

"It was nice meeting you Naruto but I have to go now. It's getting late, and I do have to be up early for tomorrow."

"Already?" he asked with a playful pout. She giggled some more, then she paid for her bill.

"I'm sorry but I do have to. I know!" she said as she looked in her bag. She pulled out a pen then grabbed the napkin and started writing things down. "It was nice meeting you and I hope I get to see you again!" she said with a light blush gracing her face as well as a smile just before she rushed out.

Naruto looked down at the napkin and was puzzled. It looked like it was a schedule. Teuchi came by him after she left and let a loud laugh.

"Good job! I haven't seen her like that in a while."

"What is this?" Naruto asked as he showed the man the napkin. He simply smirked.

"It's when she's here. I did say she's a regular. You made a good impression on her. Looks like she made one on you," Teuchi said as he left a very blushing Naruto.

Naruto looked back down to the napkin and the pieces were slowly putting themselves together. The schedule was for when she would be at the restaurant. She wanted to see him again. And at this, he found himself uncontrollably smiling. Then Teuchi's comment just now floated into his brain. He wanted to see her again, and at this he blushed, but he also somehow managed to smile even more.


	2. 2: Second Night

**A/N: I know it has been a while since I have posted...on like all of my stories. But I hope that this makes up for the lost time. Enjoy! R &R! Please and Thank you!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Second Night

When Naruto got home his parents were asleep but he was far too excited to go to sleep. He had to tell someone about his night. As he was lying in bed he heard something at the window. He looked over and saw small paws pawing at the window. He walked over and let the creature in. It was a fox, his pet fox to be exact. He found him when he was a kit and took care of him, he named him Kurama. He picked up the fox and brought him over to the bed and started petting him.

"You know Kurama, I met this girl tonight and all we did was talk but it was great! I liked it a lot. And – get this – she gave me her schedule for when she's at the restaurant." The fox looked up at him and cocked its head. "I know, I know, numbers would have been better but it's better than nothing. It means I can see her again."

* * *

Naruto woke up with Kurama sleeping on his stomach. He started to pet him in hopes of waking him up. When the fox woke up he turned his head towards Naruto and gave him a look.

"Oh come on, I need to go to class. Otherwise mom and dad will kill me!"

The fox looked at him. Stretched, stood up, and turned around to face away from Naruto. Then he curled up and went back to sleep.

"Kurama!"

* * *

Naruto grabbed a fruit from the counter and ran outside where Shikamaru was waiting for him. As they walked Naruto's thoughts were distracted, wandering back to the thoughts of Hinata.

"You're awfully quiet, you okay?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, I am just looking forward to tonight," Naruto said with a big grin on his face. Shikamaru chuckled.

"I feel like I may regret this but, why are you looking forward to tonight?" Shikamaru asked. And so Naruto told him about the previous night and about the girl he had met. He tried very hard not to forget anything in his retelling.

"Sounds like a fun night," Shikamaru said with a smile. "So only her schedule huh?"

"I mean, I didn't ask for it. She just gave it to me."

"Eh, it's not a number though. Would you be going there every day to see if she shows up?" Naruto was quiet for a moment.

"Ya know, I think I would. I really do want to see her again."

"Did you get her name, if not her phone number?"

"Oh yeah, her name is Hinata." Shikamaru stopped in mid-step. "What's the matter?" Naruto asked as he waited on his friend.

"Hinata? Like Hinata Hyuga?"

"I dunno, didn't get her last name."

"Idiot," Shikamaru said as he resumed walking. "It probably is, based off of her description you gave me. The Hyuga company is a really well known family run company. They don't allow too many outsiders in too much from what I read. Hinata is the CEO's daughter, at least one of them."

"WHAT?! I MUST HAVE SOUDNED LIKE AN IDIOT LAST NIGHT!" Naruto started sweating, thinking about all the mistakes he probably made last night. His panicking ceased when he felt something on this head. Shikamaru had hit him on top of his head.

"Relax, I'm sure you were fine last night. And from the sounds of it, it sounds like she may have enjoyed herself. Just be yourself tonight, don't stress who she is."

* * *

"How's classes going?"

"They're going well dad," Naruto said into the phone as he made his way to Ichiraku's.

"That's good to hear. Not too tough?"

"Nah, I'll get through it. I really want to make a difference, you know dad."

"Yeah I know. Will you be home tonight for dinner? Your mom has been asking."

"Sorry dad, I'm actually gonna eat out and study tonight."

"Study?"

"Yeah, study for class since finals will be coming up in like a few weeks."

"Let me guess, Ramen?" his dad asked with a sigh.

"Heh, heh, yeah."

"Your mother is going to kill you for your diet."

"Maybe, hey I gotta go I'll talk to you later bye," Naruto said quickly as he saw the place come into view. As soon as he entered he saw a familiar indigo haired figure at the counter. Her head was on the counter and her stuff scattered all over.

"This seat taken?" he asked her. She shot up and looked at him. Upon seeing him he noticed that her expression seemed at ease.

"I was kind of wondering if I would see you again," she said with a light blush forming and a smile. Naruto was taken a back. He, for an instant, suddenly felt nervous. His face was heating up a little bit.

"I was hoping that I didn't miss you," he said while scratching the back of his neck. Hinata giggled and straightened up the papers that were on the counter. He suddenly felt a bit more at ease, his nervousness being smothered out a bit. He remembered what Shikamaru had said and took a deep breath and took a seat next to her. As soon as he sat down Teuchi brought over their food. Naruto couldn't help but notice that she had four shots set up for her, one of them already gone. His thoughts were interrupted by her giggling again.

"You really must be a regular for him to have your food ready already," she said. Naruto felt a little embarrassed.

"He's been coming here since he was a little kid," Teuchi said. Naruto felt his face heating up.

"It's just that his food is really good," Naruto said as he stuffed his face. He heard her giggle, when he glanced over he saw her smiling again at him before she picked up her chopsticks and began eating.

"How was your day?" Naruto asked after he finished his bowl. He had a feeling already of how her day was. Hinata sighed heavily.

"It was terrible. First some reports were misplaced and I had to find them, otherwise people would be fired. Then I was late for a conference meeting becauseI was looking for the reports for the conference. It was a mess needless to say.," she said while playing with the noodles, lost in thought.

"What is it exactly you do?" Naruto asked.

"I never told you?" she asked looking perplexed. Naruto shook his head. "My father owns a company and is ideally trying to prepare me to take it over. I have tried telling my father that my cousin would be better suited. He shoots it down every time and insists that I'm perfect for it," she trailed off. She was picking at her food and ate some of it, as well as staring off into space.

 _Way to go! You made her depressed! I need to change the topic like right now! Ugh! What would help?_ Naruto thought. He then noticed that she still had her manga stuff out. Then he got an idea to get her out of her funk.

"How's your manga coming along?" he asked as he tried to peek at the papers that were on the counter. His antic had a desired effect as she scrambled to cover up her work.

"I said I wasn't drunk enough yesterday, what makes you think that I am now?" she asked with a small smile. He couldn't think of anything to say. He noticed that after a bit she had a light blush. Naruto felt a bit nervous again.

"So where did you learn to draw?" he asked, trying to make light conversation. Hinata looked back at her covered work and was silent for a moment.

"I have taken a couple of art classes. My father wanted me to go to school for a business degree. We managed to come to a compromise, which was that I was allowed to major in whatever I wanted so long as I minored in business management. It was a very long argument but somehow I managed to stay my ground and we came to that compromise."

"So what did you pick?" he asked, though he already knew, or at least thought he knew, what major she had picked. She just gave him a suspicious look with a smirk. Naruto couldn't help but smile back. He reached over and grabbed a piece of paper form her and a pencil. When he reached for the paper she carefully inspected the paper before giving it to him. He started drawing as soon as she went back to her food, trying to avoid her catching him.

"Do you go to school?" she asked around a mouthful of noodles. Naruto laughed a bit. She blushed.

"Yes I do," he said as he alternated between looking at her and his sketch. "I also am working towards a minor in business, however my major is communication."

"What do you want to do with it?" she asked as she took a sip of her drink.

"I want to make a difference, you know, give back to the community. My parents work at a hospital, but unfortunately science is not my strong suit. I figured that a lot of business companies have a lot of power and that maybe if I started my own I would be able to give back to the community the way I want to. I know it sounds a bit out there but I'm working towards it. Still putting the pieces together you know?" When he glanced over to look at Hinata she was deep in thought and nodded her head to indicate that she understood what he was telling her.

"You could always look into non-profit companies. I feel like that might be more your style," she said with a smile. Naruto returned the smile. I think we were going over those in class today, he thought.

"Thanks," he looked at her for a moment more then back down at the paper.

"What are you drawing anyway?" she asked while trying to sneak a peek. Naruto covered it and smiled.

"It's not done yet," and he continued working on his project. When he glanced up he chuckled.

"But you were peeking at mine," she whined with a playful pout. She tuned back towards the counter and finished her second cup of sake. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Most of it was spent with Naruto working on his project and Hinata appearing to me meditating perhaps? Naruto wasn't too sure but she looked extremely peaceful for the few minutes.

"All done," he said. He had a soft smile on his face and felt a light blush. "You're right, showing one's art is a very intimate thing." he carefully watched her expression as he passed her the paper. He reached for one of her cups of sake and took a small sip. The alcohol still threw him off but since it was a sip he was able to stomach it better than yesterday.

He watched as Hinata's face started turning a shade of red. She looked surprised, then her expression turned into something that he couldn't quite decipher.

"It's amazing! How did you learn to draw like this?" she asked while still mesmerized by the drawing, he fingers lightly tracing the lines.

"It's a hobby of mine that I rather enjoy very much," he started saying with a small chuckle. "I would have rather major in that but I was stuck with what would I do with it."

"I'll admit, being in college saying that you're an art major is pretty cool but the job market isn't very forgiving," she said with a exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, so at that point I decided I was going to look into other kinds of jobs. Hoping something would speak to me." Naruto then finished the cup of sake.

"Do you - do you go to Konoha University then?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, one of the only colleges around here."

"I - I attend classes there as well," she said as she reached for her last cup of sake.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked feeling excitement bubbling up."

"I'm only there once a week though, for my art classes. Everything else is online."

"What day?" he asked feeling a little disappointed.

"Saturdays."

"I have class that day," he suddenly said a little too loud, nearly shouting it. His excitement bubbling up again. When he noticed the other patrons looking at him he quickly said sorry to them and returned his attention to the now giggling Hinata. "Maybe we could meet up," he offered while rubbing the back of his neck. He watched Hinata's face carefully and nervously. It changed from something that looked like uncertainty to something that resembled amazement or disbelief. "I know that we just met yesterday but I like hanging out with you and would like to hang out more with you. Not that meeting you here is a bad thing because I love this place and you seem to love this place. It's just I really like your company and would like more time if it's okay with you," Naruto rambled. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUTUP! YOU'RE RAMBLING NOW AND I'M SURE SHE THINKS YOU'RE AN IDIOT! He felt his face heating up and for some reason he was still rambling. He was stopped mid-sentence by her giggling.

"I-I have a lunch break around one, if that is okay." Naruto grinned.

"That works!" she smiled back. She looked at her cup, still untouched. "Let me help you with that," he said as reached over and took her cup from her hand, then downed it. This time, he couldn't resist the burn he felt and he made a weird gesture again, which caused her to laugh.

"Thank you Naruto," she said. She smiled a beautiful smile. Naruto found himself a bit lost in her. He felt crazy because he had just met her, but truly did enjoy her company. He hoped that she was enjoying it as well.

"Did you come from class today?" she asked, thoroughly snapping him out of his daze.

"Yeah, I was going to do some studying."

"If - If you want, I could maybe help. After all, I did take up most of your time. What - what class is it?"

"Microeconomics, but you really don't have to. It's just a couple of supply and demand questions." The thought of the assignment made him want to die.

"That one was pretty hard for me. But I got the hang of it and ended up getting an A. Are you sure you don't need help?"

Naruto gave a nervous smile and scratched the back of his neck.

* * *

"Alright you two, I gotta close up shop," Teuchi said as he was wiping down the counter. Naruto checked the time and saw it was eleven.

"It's already that late?" Hinata said as she looked over his shoulder to view the time.

"Yeah, let me at least get you a ride home," Naruto said as he gestured to Teuchi who nodded his head with understanding. He left to go to the back.

"You really don't have to," Hinata tried to tell him.

"I insist, you spent the rest of your night figuring out those formulas with me. Without your help I would have spent the whole night figuring out the first formula." He watched as she packed away her bag. Then they heard a honking noise. "Sounds like it's here already."

"That was pretty quick," Hinata said. She sounded a little disappointed, or it could be just him.

"Yeah," he said as he stood in front of her. The two of them just seemed to be staring. Both wearing a blush on their faces. The car honked again and seemed to break their trance. He walked her out and held the door open for her for the car. Once she was in he knocked on the window to get the drivers attention, then he paid him. Probably more than what it would cost but he didn't really seem to care.

He noticed that Hinata had rolled down her window.

"Have a good night Hinata, get home safe," he said.

"Thank you Naruto, you too. See you Saturday." She smiled.

"Saturday," he said returning her smile with his. The car then drove away.

He then heard Teuchi laughing. Naruto blushed furiously because his moment with Hinata, at least he thinks it was a moment, was witnessed by one more person than he had anticipated.

* * *

 **A/N: Again sorry for the long wait. Will try to post sooner! Just trying to make sure the pacing for the story is good! Anyway, Thanks for reading!**


	3. 3: First Date?

**A/N: Super sorry for the extreme lateness. I could come up with a million excuses but I am pretty sure that we are all on the same page that life sometimes just gets busy. Anyway, here is chapter 3. R &R**

* * *

 _Previously on_ Sake _:_

 _"Yeah," he said as he stood in front of her. The two of them just seemed to be staring. Both wearing a blush on their faces. The car honked again and seemed to break their trance. He walked her out and held the door open for her for the car. Once she was in he knocked on the window to get the drivers attention, then he paid him. Probably more than what it would cost but he didn't really seem to care._

 _He noticed that Hinata had rolled down her window._

 _"Have a good night Hinata, get home safe," he said._

 _"Thank you Naruto, you too. See you Saturday." She smiled._

 _"Saturday," he said returning her smile with his. The car then drove away._

 _He then heard Teuchi laughing. Naruto blushed furiously because his moment with Hinata, at least he thinks it was a moment, was witnessed by one more person than he had anticipated._

* * *

Chapter 3: First Date?

It was Saturday already. Naruto's alarm rang and he practically shot out of bed. Kurama jumped and barred his teeth at him.

"Sorry Kurama," Naruto said while trying to calm down the fox, "I'm just excited, I'm gonna see Hinata today after class."

Kurama sat on the bed as he watched Naruto pace his room while he got ready.

"Thursday night kinda felt like a date. So did the other night. But I don't think the other night counts as a date 'cus we just met. Maybe last night didn't count either. I mean it wasn't planned."

The fox continued to watch and from a certain angle it looked like he was smiling and taking amusement in the scene before him.

"I'll see you later Kurama!" Naruto said as he ran out of his room and down the stairs. He rushed to the kitchen after he realized that his mom had cooked breakfast.

"You're up early," Kushina said as she put food on the table. She then set her full attention on Naruto. "What's the occasion?"

"Occasion? What occasion do I need to get up and go to class?" Naruto said nervously.

"The same kind of occasion that causes you to study," Kushina pressed.

"Perhaps he's seeing the same person today as he did Thursday night," his father, Minato, suggested as he grabbed a piece of toast.

"I wonder if she's pretty, what do you think Minato?" she asked with an evil grin on her face. Naruto's jaw nearly dropped! Was he that obvious!

"Well she must be really something if he's going to class on time by himself," Minato said in between chews.

At a lost for what to say Naruto quickly made an egg sandwich.

"Well I'm gonna be late now so I'm just gonna grab this and go!" he rushed as he grabbed his things and ran out of the house.

* * *

Naruto wanted nothing more than for his class to be over. To be quite frank, he had zoned out about ten minutes into the class. He was preoccupied thinking of what to do when he met up with Hinata for lunch. He wasn't quite sure what the daughter of a CEO would want to go to eat. Maybe she ate at fancy restaurants, like the one Sasuke goes to. I don't think I can afford that!

"Furthermore, I require you all to make a business plan. It's due at the end of the semester, but you should start looking into it. Class dismissed," the professor said as he started packing up his stuff. Naruto tossed his notebook into his backpack. It was then that he realized that he didn't have her number. Though he was pretty sure that he could assume she would be in that art building, so he started making his way over. Once he was in he checked his phone again. he still had a few minutes until one. _What_ _if she changed her mind_?

"Hey Naruto, what brings you here?" a familiar voice asked. It wasn't the one he was expecting to hear.

"Oh, hey Sai! I'm just waiting for a friend."

"What friend could you have that is artistic and not me?"

"It's someone that I met earlier this week."

"If you just met them how could they already be your friend? Unless maybe you had sex then-"

"NO! NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL!" Naruto screamed. Sai was silent for a moment.

"I see, would this friend of yours be Hinata Hyuga?" Naruto's face felt really hot all of a sudden. Then Sai smiled.

"She'll be out soon, she is just cleaning up her stuff. Down the hall to your right," Sai said then walked away. Though Naruto wanted to question how he knew he decided to follow the directions to the room. He yelled back thanks and walked down the hall.

He saw a room door open and figured it was her last classroom. He decided to go in and see if she needed any help. However, his attention was caught by a painting set up on an easel. What drew him to the painting was the bright colors. He was in awe of the painting.

"Y-You weren't supposed to see it yet," a nervous voice said. Her voice echoed in the room, even though she had spoken softly. He turned to her; she stood where she was and began blushing. "What…what do you think of it so far?" she asked timidly. He was lost for words. Before he knew what he was doing his feet had him moving towards her. As he got closer her blush seemed to deepen. Then he hugged her. After a moment or two he felt her relax and reciprocate the hug. They stood like that for a while. He felt comfortable holding her.

"N-Naruto?"

"It's amazing Hinata," he managed to say. He reluctantly pulled away from the hug, but he wanted to look at her. "It really is amazing!"

"I'm glad you like it. It's part of a series," she said as she went to her portfolio. She reached into it and pulled out two other canvases. "I had to pick an area and paint different paintings all located in the area. Since I always go to Ichiraku's I thought it would be nice to paint."

Naruto studied the paintings and couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face. One of the paintings was of Teuchi cooking, it looked really good that he swore he could smell the food that the old man was cooking. It was extremely detailed. Another painting was of a small pyramid made up of shot glasses. It was a very well done painting, however part of him was worried that she had drunk all of these herself. He looked back over to her after looking at it.

"I-I didn't drink all of it. It actually was a happier occasion that night. I was going out with my friends that night, we were celebrating that one of them was getting married," Hinata said as if knowing where his train of thought was going. He noticed that she had a very particular smile on her face as she stared at the painting. Though she had spaced out staring at the painting she was still smiling and he couldn't help but want to make her smile like that. He then ended up back at the first painting which was still propped up on the easel. It was a side profile of him, it wasn't finished yet but if you knew Naruto then you knew it was him. In the painting you were able to make out parts of his body, the old man, and a bowl of ramen. There also looked like papers scattered on the counter.

"When?" he asked Hinata, mesmerized by the painting still.

"Must have been about a month or two ago, during midterms. I had to do some sketches for the project."

As he continued to stare at the painting the memory of that night tried it's best to come forth. He had gone there to try to study, Teuchi had given him some ramen on the house to help him. "When I was going through the sketches I saw it and I thought it would be perfect for the series, since you are his number one customer." Naruto laughed at that.

"It really is amazing," he said when he turned to face her. Their eyes were locked and part of him realized that they were fairly close to each other, the other part didn't really care too much because he was stuck looking into her eyes. The moment was ruined by Naruto's stomach making its needs known. Naruto laughed nervously.

"Almost forgot we were supposed to get lunch," he looked at his phone to see a half an hour had passed. "How much time do you have?" he asked while his hand rested on the back of his neck.

"About thirty minutes," she said as she glanced at the clock on the wall. She sounded disappointed. Naruto did feel bad for taking up her time, but he did enjoy looking at the paintings. He also felt a fuzzy feeling knowing that she had painted him. "But I brought some food with me to share with you," she said as she went to her bag. He felt a little embarrassed, he had hoped to take her out to eat but figured that this would be just as nice. She handed him the containers to hold, then she put away the rest of the paintings with extra care.

Naruto found himself smiling as he watched her put away everything. Once done they walked out to the lobby. Hinata, from there, led the way to the art café so she could re-heat the food.

"Sorry I took up so much of your lunch break," he said nervously. He didn't know why he felt nervous but he did. I wish Shikamaru hadn't told me that she was a CEO's daughter, maybe that's why I'm nervous. And maybe if I hadn't known I wouldn't be so nervous now, Naruto reasoned. But as he waited for her to respond he noticed that it wasn't just nervousness that he was feeling, he was feeling a whole mess of emotions. He was happy, anxious, embarrassed and all the while smiling. He couldn't stop smiling.

"It's okay Naruto. I was a bit nervous that you would be upset that I painted you without your permission, but I am very glad that you like it," she said as she brought over the two containers of the now warmed food.

"What will you do with them? The paintings?"

"I'm not too sure, I have a lot at home as it is."

"There's more?"

"Yeah, too many," she said with a giggle. "We better eat before it gets cold again." He simply nodded his head and actually looked at the food before him. He almost didn't want to eat it because it was beautifully assembled. But his stomach growled again, telling him that it needed food soon or else it would start eating him. After one bite he felt like he was in food heaven. He heard Hinata giggle again.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said as she continued to giggle.

"What is it?" he persisted. She laughed some more.

"It's just your face, when you ate the food."

"But it's sooooooo good," he said as he ate another bite of it.

"I'm glad you like it," she said as she started eating her food.

"So, you think that I can see your other paintings?" he asked as he finished his food.

"You - you want to see them?"

"Yeah," he said grinning. He did notice that her face had a growing blush on it.

"Maybe I can take a picture of them and send it to you." Naruto suddenly felt excited. He pulled out a pen and paper then proceeded to write down his phone number and email for her. He wasn't too sure which she would prefer. Then he slid it over to her. She stared at the paper then back to him.

"That way you can send them," he smiled. She nodded her head and smiled back. Just then an alarm went off that startled the two. He watched as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"I'm sorry, I have to go to class now."

"Already?" Naruto said with a sigh.

"Um, this would be my last class for today. If you want to, that is if you want to wait, we could hang out afterwards," she offered, a blush on her face. "If you have other plans, then I understand."

"No, I can wait!" he said a little too loud causing Hinata to jump. He had also managed to catch the attention of some of the students nearby. "Sorry, I don't mind waiting for you."

"Are you sure?" she asked as she gathered her things.

"Yeah," he said with a smile. She returned his smile and gathered her supplies and headed off to class.

* * *

He had decided to stay in the café and try to work on some homework, however every time he started he found himself getting distracted every time he tried starting. He kept thinking back to Hinata, part of him welcomed the distraction while the other was afraid that if this kept up he would fail his classes.

"Earth to Naruto, you there?" he heard someone ask. It was enough to snap him out of his daze and realize who was there.

"Oh, hey Sakura," he said as he looked at his friend who was standing by the table. She was studying him very intensely. He found himself starting to sweat under her scrutiny. "S-Sakura?"

"How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while. I didn't expect you to be in this building," she said as she sat across from him. Naruto felt heat rising to his face at the thought of telling her why he was in the building.

"Just waiting for a friend," he said trying to sound cool, calm, and collected.

"She must be really nice for you to wait for her. Is she an art major?" Sakura asked with a knowing smile.

"Actually she is and- HEY! I DIDN'T TELL YOU SHE WAS A GIRL!" Sakura busted out laughing.

"You just did!"

"Not fair," he said with a pout, "aren't you supposed to be living in the labs?" Sakura had an annoyed expression on her face.

"I actually have a day off today from lab hours. I was just coming from the other building and wanted to grab a bite to eat and this café was closer than the main one. So what's her name?" she pressed.

"Hinata," he said with a sigh.

"Ah, she's really nice and a great person."

"You know her?"

"Yeah, we're friends. I met her last year in class. I had to take a mandatory art class, she is really talented. It's really great that I met her, now I have someone to talk to when I end up going to some functions with Sasuke. You do know she's the daughter of a CEO right?"

"Yes," he said with another sigh, "I know. I wish that I didn't know. I get so nervous about certain things. I swear I must sound dumb."

"Maybe," Sakura said with a laugh.

"Not helping," he groaned.

"How did you meet her?"

"At Ichiraku's," he said with a grin. Sakura simply shook her head and laughed.

"Of all places." Naruto just laughed while having a goofy grin on his face. "So you like her huh?" Sakura further inquired the blonde. The question caught him off guard and a blush, once again, creeped its way up. Sakura simply smiled knowingly at him when he failed to give an answer. "Just be sure to treat her right."

"Of course I would treat her right! What kind of person do you think I am Sakura?! I would ne-"

"It's okay Naruto," Sakura interrupted him, "I was just making sure." Naruto glared at her while she laughed. "I just don't want to see her hurt," she said while sobering up.

"I know, I don't want to hurt her either," Naruto said with a level of seriousness that shocked Sakura. She knew him for years, she also knew how he was about keeping his word.

"Don't sweat it so much, and just be yourself. She really is a sweet girl, and if you have her interest now it's safe to assume that you did something right."

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"Does…does she drink a lot?" Naruto asked. A part of him wondered if the amount she drank was normal. This of course had him a bit worried for her health but he felt weird coming out and ask her.

"Sorry, I don't think that's my place to tell you. But I didn't think you were that much of an idiot," she said looking at him with a look he couldn't decipher. He knew that there was an underlying meaning but he couldn't quite out his finger on it.

In that moment Sakura's phone went off indicating she had a message. She glances down at it and sighs.

"Looks like I gotta go. Enjoy your date!" she says as she gets up and makes her way out of the building. Naruto tries to tell her that it wasn't a date but the words wouldn't come out straight. All that did come out were strings of incoherent noises that were excuses for words. Sakura laughed at him being flustered.

She was long gone by the time that he was able to collect himself. His mind still wondering over the same question, is this a date? He checked the time nervously, five thirty. He hadn't gotten a time for when she would be done with class, stupid me! What if she left? What if she changed her mind about going out with me? This was a mistake wasn't it? I mean she is a CEO daughter, I'm sure she ha-

"I'm sorry for keeping you. I had to finish up on my work before I left the studio," a soft voice said. Naruto's thoughts immediately stopped and a big grin was on his face the next minute. It faltered for a second upon seeing her. She had splotches of paint all over her jeans. She had charcoal on her finger tips. A pencil twisted up in her hair. A light chuckle escapes. This causes her cheeks to flush slightly and she began to fidget slightly.

"I'm sorry," he says, noticing her behavior as well as his own, "it just looks like you fought with your classes." She looks down at herself and looks like it is the first time she notices her appearance. Then a small giggle escapes.

"I suppose it does look like that. I'm - I'm gonna go wash up before we leave. If that's okay."

"Yeah it's fine," he said as he smiled.

"No peeking at my work," she said in a jokingly stern voice as she got up to go to the restroom. Naruto laughed at this, he had not expected her to joke like that. It brought a smile to him nonetheless.

"I promise I won't."


End file.
